The seven-year veteran had been on paid administrative leave since December 2010. Evans told The Columbian that the termination is effective immediately.

Owens' son Ryan shot himself Sept. 14, 2010, while playing with his father's gun at their Battle Ground home.

A sheriff's internal affairs investigation report and a prosecutor's report indicated Owens blamed his 11-year-old stepdaughter and coerced her into making a false confession. He was also faulted for firearms storage.